Isaiah the Prophet Family Formation Home Lesson Week of December 13, 2020 Kindergarten-6th Grades 3rd Sunday of Advent FINDING JESUS IN THIS LESSON “The coming of God’s Son to earth is an event of such immensity that God willed to prepare for it over centuries. He makes everything converge on Christ: all the rituals and sacrifices, figures and symbols of the ‘First Covenant.’195 He announces him through the mouths of the prophets who succeeded one another in Israel. Moreover, he awakens in the hearts of the pagans a dim expectation of this coming.” CCC 522 195 Heb. 9:15. BEGIN WITH SCRIPTURE “A voice cries out: In the desert prepare the way of the Lord! Make straight in the wasteland a highway for our God! Every valley shall be filled in, every mountain and hill made low; The rugged land shall be made a plain, the rough country, a broad valley. Then the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all mankind shall see it together.” Isaiah 40:3-5 Dear Heavenly Father, Your glory is revealed in so many ways, but especially through the birth of Your perfect son, Jesus! As we do this lesson, we ask that You open our eyes to recognize Your beautiful plan through the centuries, and help us grow in Faith as we learn that You still watch over us today. Amen. PREPARATION Prophecy Concentration is comprised of cards listing Old Testament prophecies with how they were fulfilled in the New Testament through Jesus. They are all great reminders of the intricacies of God’s plan for our salvation! You will want to cut the cards apart ahead of time to play. Lesson The Great Prophet Isaiah The greatest of the Old Testament prophets was Isaiah. He lived more than 700 years before Jesus was born, at a time when Israel was threatened by countries who wanted to take it over with their strong armies. Judah (the part of Israel where Isaiah lived) was prosperous at this time, and the people had stopped placing their trust in God and were trusting in their own wealth. In the midst of all this, God gave Isaiah a vision in which he saw God seated on a high throne surrounded by angels called Seraphim who cried, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts! … ‘All the earth is filled with his glory!’ ” Isaiah 6:3 In the vision, Isaiah heard the Lord ask, “Whom shall I send? Who will go for us?” Isaiah 6:8b When Isaiah replied, “Here I am,” ... “send me!” Isaiah 6:8c he was telling God that he would be the one to carry God‘s messages to His people. Some of these messages told about future events that still affect us today. In this lesson, we will learn about some of those. Isaiah’s Prophecy of John the Baptist Read the prophecy Isaiah made in Isaiah 40:3. Now, turn forward more than 700 years to the New Testament reading in Matthew 3:1-3 to see how this prophecy came true. (See also CCC 719.) Jesus told us that He did not come to do away with the old law established in the time of the prophets, but the Father sent Him to fulfill all of the old laws. The prophets all gave hints to point God’s people toward His ultimate plan of salvation through Christ. (See CCC 592.) We know John the Baptist was one of these prophets sent to prepare the people of Israel for the coming of Jesus. In the same way, we need to prepare our hearts for the coming of Jesus. We call this season of preparation “Advent.” Count the number of preparation days left until Christmas. What are some of the things you can do now to prepare for the coming of Jesus at Christmas? Answers might include the following: • go to adoration, confession, or daily Mass • make a list of things you can do for others for Christmas instead of a list of things you want for yourself • pray • read your Bible Page 2 %ISAIAH 40:3 SCRIPTURE TENT Fold the Isaiah 40:3 Scripture Tent in half along the center line, and place it on your prayer table as a reminder to continue to prepare your hearts for Christmas. Isaiah Prophesies the Coming of Christ The complete book of Isaiah is an anthology, meaning a collection, of poems composed by Isaiah and his disciples, some of whom came years after Isaiah. One of Isaiah’s prophecies was to tell the Israelites that God was going to send them a King and that they must prepare for Him. %ACTIVITY: TITLES OF GOD WORKSHEET Isaiah used many words to describe God, such as “majestic” (See Isaiah 33:22.), “holy” (See Isaiah 29:23.), and “glorious” (See Isaiah 63:12.). Using the Titles of God Worksheet, see how many words you can think of to describe God. You can do this project as a family, or your saints can compete to see who can fill in the most letters. A list of ideas for each letter is included on the back page, but don’t peek until you are absolutely stuck! %ACTIVITY: PROPHECY CONCENTRATION Play Prophecy Concentration as a family. Instructions and rules are included on the game pages. The matching Scriptures are as follows: Isaiah 9:5a Luke 2:11 Isaiah 7:14b Luke 1:31 Isaiah 53:5a John 19:34a Isaiah 53:4a Matthew 8:16b-17 Isaiah 25:7a Matthew 27:51a Isaiah 53:9 Luke 23:33a Isaiah 40:3 John 1:22-23 Isaiah 22:22 Matthew 16:19 Isaiah 29:18 Matthew 11:4-5 Isaiah 53:7a Matthew 26:62-63a Isaiah 28:16 Matthew 21:42b and 16:18 Page 3 Ideas for Titles of God Worksheet (Hold upside down and view in a mirror.) Family Formation is designed to help parents respond to the Church’s call to be “the first and foremost educators of their children”* and to help families grow in the transforming love of God by understanding and living the Catholic Faith. Reminder, scan the QR Code below for the Lesson Quizzes and Parent Pages. “The Subcommittee on the Catechism, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, has found this text, copyright 2019, to be in conformity with the Catechism of the Catholic Church.” Permission is granted to reproduce student activity materials as necessary for use by the subscriber’s family to complete this lesson. Reprinting the contents as a whole or in part for giveaway or resale is expressly prohibited. Isaiah the Prophet | ©2019 Church of Saint Paul (763) 757-1148 | familyformation.net .